Institutions like The District Development Board (DDB), Jammu appearing losing the apparent and intrinsic sheen does definitely not augur well. In other words, several of the Government Departments are reported to have failed to translate into reality many important decisions taken by the DDB in presence of the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti and Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. Nirmal Singh about one year back. Does sound incredible this, as repeated instructions from the Planning Development and Monitoring Department about constant monitoring of progress on such decisions by the concerned authorities have fallen on deaf ears. We, on the contrary, feel that decisions taken under the leadership of the CM and the Dy CM should be treated as of requisite peremptory nature.
The current financial year is almost gone, still the Housing and Urban Development Department has failed to get sewerage project completed as was announced in the main DDB meeting followed by review meeting held under the Chairmanship of Dy. Chief Minister Dr. Nirmal Singh on Oct 31, 2017. Even sewer lines have not been laid in several parts of Jammu, let alone talking about completion of entire project. Besides, in those areas where the lines have already been laid, house connections are yet to be provided. The DDB decisions, therefore, have flagrantly been given a miss.
Going slightly back, during the District Development Board meeting of Jammu held on March 10, 2017, the CM had ordered immediate release of Rs. 15 crore to take sewerage project of Jammu city forward by linking septic tanks with the underground pipes. It was assured by the authorities of Housing and Urban Development Department that sewerage project will be completed by ending 2017-18 financial year. Self evident needs no proof and the ground realities are self explanatory as to where the matter stands. It will be no exaggeration to say that the entire exercise looks to be going haywire. Drastic steps are needed to resolve this sewerage issue lingering on for quite some time, say five years or so.
The Chief Minister had also directed for conservation and face lifting of historic Raghunath Mandir and adjoining areas which forms the major attraction for the tourists visiting Jammu. However, no major work has been carried out in the area during the past one year excepting the installation of music system inside the historic temple by the Tourism Development Department.
Similarly, in the DDB meeting, directions were also issued for pacing up of work on historic Mubarak Mandi Complex while terming it as an important tourist and cultural asset of the state. The Chief Minister had even expressed concern over the slow pace of work on the project. The latest about that is the work is going on there still at a snail’s pace and alternate agency has not been roped in so far despite the fact that this is an important step to give necessary impetus to the ongoing work. Parking slot in the complex too has not been made operational till date which otherwise was also one of the directions passed by the Chief Minister while chairing the DDB meeting.
In other important areas like concerning Health Department, 200 bedded Maternity Hospital at Gandhi Nagar, Jammu, Sub- District Hospitals at Jourian, Bishnah, Akhnoor and Khour Ayurvedic College at Akhnoor , 19 new tube wells to be constructed etc etc, the CM had asked for speeding up and completion of these works during 2017-18 so that the people benefitted by getting various facilities but all these decisions too landed in the vicinity of uncertainty as to the fixed timelines. Ambiguity about surmounting the reckless attitude by the concerned officers is still hovering and treating institution like DDB easy as pie, to be disregarded in its directions is unacceptable. Accountability, therefore, must be the cardinal principle in administrative parlance.
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